Assignment 2 - World University Ranking

Assignment 2 requires us to create an infographic using a given set of data, which consists of university rankings. 

Phase 1 - Ideas Generation

Upon reviewing the data set, I realized that the top universities are usually in U.S or Europe.  As a result, many people fail to realize the improvements that institutions in Asia have been making. Thus, my initial question to guide the analysis of my data aims to focus on Asian Universities:

Which Asian Universities have been on the rise?

Initially, I wanted to display the improvement in rank of Asian universities.Hence, I selected the top 15 Asian universities from the World University Ranking in 2013, and source for their ranks in Year 2008 respectively. Subsequently, I calculated the difference in rankings to mark their changes (improvement) in ranks over the years. This can be seen from image 1 below

Image 1

As we were highly encouraged by our tutor to explore the data using Tableau Public, I explored the programme and tried out different charts that can best represent my data. After much trial and error, I decided that a bar chart would be the most appropriate.

Phase 2 - Draft 1

As I was overwhelmed with other commitment during this period, i submitted my bar chart ( as shown in Image 2) as my draft. Although i regretted not managing my time more efficiently such that I can do up a proper draft, I was glad that i still received a few constructive feedback from my classmates (and my tutor didn't lecture me for sending in such an incomplete work)

Image 2

In the draft, the universities are arranged in order, with NUS being the highest Asian university in the World University Ranking and National Taiwan University (NTU) being the lowest in rank. From the bar chart, readers can tell at a glance that NTU made the greatest improvements while universities in Japan fell in ranks generally.  


Phase 3 - Critique

Despite having the intention to display the improvement in ranks among Asian Universities, the bar-chart was not well-received during the critique session due to a few reasons:

• The actual ranking in both years is missing. An institution might have improved a lot but stand low in the ranks
• Only Asian universities are included although the World University Ranking is used

Phase 4 - Ideas Generation (Part 2)

After much thought, I decided to change my initial question while still focusing on Asian universities

Which are the best universities in Asia?

For clarity, I select the top 10 Asian universities from the Asian University Ranking instead of the World University Ranking. As I had difficulty finding the necessary data for year 2008, I then source for their ranks in year 2010 respectively. 

I abandoned my previous idea to display the improvements in rank as I felt that students in general are more interested in the current rank rather than how much a school has improved. As what was mentioned during the critique session, an institution might have improved drastically but still stand low in ranks.

I also researched for the tuition fees to use for analysis as I felt that tuition fees are an important consideration for students too. I then display the information in the form of a bar chart ( as seen in Image 3 below) such that readers can view at a glance the difference in school fees between the institutions.

Image 3

Phase 5 - Final product

Final results presentation

With the aim to present a list of Asian universities that students can consider for their study destinations, I titled my infographic “Finding your Best Study Location in Asia” such that readers will see the information as a guide to make their choice. I then display the information according to a few steps that readers can follow.

Image 4

Instead of displaying the improvement in rank, I decided to present the ranks for both years explicitly. I used larger circles to emphasize the ranks of the top 10 Asian universities in 2013, while smaller circles to indicate their ranks in 2010. With such, readers can compare the change in ranks clearly.

Using bars, I displayed the tuition fees right next to the respective institutions for clarity. I also indicated the average school fees next to the respective bars so as to provide readers with more information to guide their decision. 

Lastly, I indicated the location of the top 10 Asian universities with the same large circles used to display their ranks in 2013, such that readers can map the location with the universities easily.

While working on Assignment 2, I find that my knowledge on using design software like Adobe Illustrator is improving as compared to how clueless I was while working on Assignment 1. Also, I am glad that I was exposed to a new data visualization tool, Tableau Public, which can assist me in presenting my data in a more aesthetic manner. Unfortunately, i did not manage to utilize Tableau as much as i wanted to due to my change in objective for my infographic. Looking forward to creating better infographics!